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Recent Posts

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5176
Living Room / Re: How Digg Gets Everything Backwards.. And How to Fix It
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 09:00 AM »
Take away the profiles.

List all links in the order in which they were submitted.

Votes are a sidenote and do not elevate the position or order in which links are displayed except on a top 25 page buried elsewhere on the site, after voting is closed (yes, you can only vote for a limited length of time).

All links start out on a today's links members only page and are pushed to the front page for all to see by experts who evaluate links submitted and watch the activity in the comments section of each post, either approving and pushing or rejecting (much in the way it is done with the DC blog)...rejected links staying on the today's links members only page. Spam links are of course deleted.

All commenting is done anonymously, with only the internal system able to identify who the commenter is. Nobody will know who submitted the link. The identity of the submitter only matters if the content is inappropriate. (almost 4chan /b/ style)

wait a minute...except for the anonymous commenting and lack of profiles, this sounds like Fark.com  :-[

And on Fark, submitters are encouraged to make the most sensational headline descriptions for links as possible. Everything is done with a sense of humor. And if you want to see more links and access the members only area, support the site and become a paid member.
5177
Living Room / Re: What's Your Favorite Gadget? Here's mine with a Discount - A Seltzer Maker
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 07:43 AM »
How about this DVD Rewinder?
-Mark0 (October 04, 2006, 06:51 AM)


hahahaha!!
5178
Mouser's Zone / Re: Ideas i want to bounce off you guys
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 07:36 AM »
Mouser, how about having a separate members area for folks that donate. This could have the special discounts you offer for programs like my Surfulater, instead of these being available to all members. The bottom line is to deliver greater benefits to folks that donate.
-nevf (October 04, 2006, 06:45 AM)

I was under the impression that this is how it currently is.

And please keep in mind that there is more than 1 way to donate to the site.

Some donate with money...some with content....some with their expert knowledge & experience...some with discounts and free copies of their software for the giveaways.

All of these are very important to this site.

And what about those that didn't make an initial cash donation but did donate back to the site a portion of the DonationCredits that were donated to them?
5179
Living Room / Re: DonationCoder.com wallpapers (part of set 03)
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 07:01 AM »
Binary minimal has given me some ideas.  ;)  :D  :Thmbsup:
5180
General Software Discussion / Re: Bad news for Firefox: Hackers claim zero-day flaw in it
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 06:32 AM »
Just out of curiosity... do you think that maybe the reason that M$ has gotten a bad rap is because they have always been a high-visibility, widespread target that can provide the highest ROI for collateral damage? 

Let me do the math for you...

(EvilBrains**Nth) * (M$IE**Nth) == (Opportunity**Nth)**Nth
... therefore it follows
M$IEDamage > OtherBrowserDamage
... and
PerceivedM$IESecurity < PerceivedOtherBrowserSecurity


That was fun! ;D   All kidding aside, would you agree?
-cjkawd (October 03, 2006, 12:19 AM)

Has anybody ever discovered any exploits for IBrowse, the default browser for Amiga OS4?

Based on that I would have to say you are right.  :D

It has now been reported that the session in question was likely an unsubstantiated joke / BS show.
-Mark0 (October 03, 2006, 11:26 AM)

Maybe that was a hoax but this isn't:

http://www.us-cert.g...lerts/TA06-208A.html

I think the hoax could have been based on older already known information. And it still affects programs using SpiderMonkey and still affects Netscape.
5181
DonationCoder Projects / Re: RPG on the forum
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 06:10 AM »
Or do it something like Neopets?

It could contain plenty of Cody based flash games as part of the bigger game.

And if done right, and made kid friendly, can also be used to help shape the minds of the next generation of software users to help make them friendlier to the idea of supporting freeware/donationware/OSS and contributing to authors and projects.

btw...Kingdom of Loathing is like Neopets on crack.  :D
5182
General Software Discussion / Re: Chatbots... the nuts and bolts.
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 06:00 AM »
Create an MS Agent character of Cody while you are at it too...that way they can have Cody read IM Conversations to them with Talky MSN.  :P
5183
Skrommel's Software / Re: DimSaver being flagged by AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 05:39 AM »
AVG's updates lately have been catching all kinds of things and flagging them...lots of false positives.

I have had a problem with Flaming Pear's Flood plugin for Photoshop and Paintshop Pro. I have had this plugin for many years and recently started getting notices from AVG every time I started Paintshop Pro. Then about 3 updates later the notices stopped. I am glad they fixed the prob. It was starting to drive me nuts.
5184
Living Room / Re: Buying New PC. Suggestions?
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 05:32 AM »
My question about the CD & DVD drives is are they burners? You will want that ability. Go for a DVD drive that can burn it all. Then if you want an additional drive, get a less expensive additional dvd drive that can read it all. Handy for copying disks. But it is not necessary to have the second one. You can copy disks without it by creating an image file and burning that.

I would opt for a built in card reader that can handle most kinds of cards over having a second CD/DVD drive.

One thing you will also want...a BIG CASE...and plenty of PCI slots.

That will become important when you start adding more hard drives and more cards. You will need to have a case big enough for it to all fit without being cramped.

A cramped case can cause cooling problems and is harder to keep clean inside.

And make sure that XP Pro CD you have isn't an OEM that needs a specific brand of PC in order to install it. Otherwise you will be out of luck and stuck with XP Home, or need to buy a new copy of XP Pro.

Make sure you get a real Windows disk with that PC...none of that restore partition crap and none of that special disk that will only work in that PC...or restore disks that wipe out everything and can't do an OS repair.
5185
Living Room / Re: What's Your Favorite Gadget? Here's mine with a Discount - A Seltzer Maker
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 04:36 AM »
low tech gadget:

ribbons

Why? You can do so much with them. And they are stronger than string.

My favorite use of ribbon? Bookmarks.

  • Take a spandex book cover and stitch a bunch to the top center. Use the thinnest ribbon you can get. (embroidery ribbon is my favorite. see images below to understand what embroidery ribbon is)
  • Use a lot of different colors and make them long enough that they will hang out the bottom of whatever book you plan on using the cover with.
  • When you put the cover on the book, make sure the ribbons are on the inside and folded in half.
  • Now when you need to bookmark a section, just pull one out and drape it across the page, letting it hang out the bottom of the book, and continue reading.

Since they are different colors, it makes it easier to find the section you want by locating the color you used to mark it that is hanging out the bottom of the book.

You would be surprised what a great study aid this can be for a visual person. Thinking about the info you need to remember, and remembering what color ribbon you marked it with can often times enable you to see the page in your mind.

Combine that with highlighters in different colors and doodles made with multi-color ink pens in the margins and you can almost read the info with your eyes closed later when you need to recall it. (I have never studied for a test in my life and rarely ever missed a question)



a more high tech gadget:

My microwave oven.

I have no idea how I ever got along without one and can't remember what life was like before I got one.

And I don't just use mine for reheating leftovers and frozen convenience foods...I cook in mine. (and no, things don't come out tasting rubbery or weird, because I know how to do it right)

With the exception of baked goods, almost everything can be done in a microwave and cleanup is much easier.

Some things are even better when done in a microwave, such as rice and steamed vegetables....the 2 staples of my diet.

And as a bonus, my microwave has a clock! and a general purpose timer! (and we all know how obsessed with clocks & timers I am)
5186
Mini-Reviews by Members / Re: InstantBoss - For those of us which require motivation to work
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 03:09 AM »
1. Many 'timer' programs have the alarm set up so that it requires to be turned off by the user. I'd find this helpful with this program, as currently it is really only effective when sitting in front of the screen. It would be more beneficial if the alarm could be set so that it could be heard around home/office in case tasks require 'away from desk' actions.
-big-emmee (October 03, 2006, 07:46 PM)


I have been thinking about this. I want to be able to use it away from my pc, myself. I was thinking how great it would be to have an Instant Boss on a chain that I can wear around my neck...lol.

In the process of trying to make it more compatible with housework, without changing the code, I ran it on my kitchen PC, replacing the short wav files with full song wavs...nice & long...and turned up the speakers to the max.

Big mistake...maybe. I found a bug.  :-[

Program will hang till the song is over and there is no way to kill the song once it starts playing. I have to fix that.  I'll also have to add a repeat option. Might even add an option to have it turn up the volume when playing the wav and restore it when it is done.  For now, if you replace the wavs, keep them short.

There will also be an option, that was requested, to pause after a certain length of system idle time in case you walk away and forget to pause it. I am still working on how to implement this effectively for 9x users where it won't suck up a lot of system resources. I have a personal commitment to 9x users till my kitchen PC dies. It's a promise I made that I won't back down from.

2. I'd like to see the total work to date set up so that this could be deleted. With many varied tasks usually unrelated, it is a bit useless. Ideally, it would be fabulous to have it so that the timer could be set to 'task 1/task 2/ task 3 etc' but I've no idea of programming so this could be real pie-in-the-sky stuff.

The total work to date is more inspirational in nature. It's supposed to show you how productive you are becoming and encourage you to keep going....same with the other total that shows the work you have done this session, although that total can be used for more practical purposes, too.

I have plans on adding options for you to define tasks and be able to select them and credit time towards them. And logging of work & break time. And charts & graphs that will show various data about what you are doing with your time...how much you have spent on various projects, etc. Also as I mentioned before, an option to set an amount for those that bill by the hour to calculate the total cost of work done on projects. (handy for the self employed)

When I add this (it won't be for awhile...it will be a lot of work) there will be a lot more control with resetting totals.


3. Ummm...cheeky but hey, worth asking. Anyone know of a palm version for this? How good would this be if it was portable too!!! Just a thought!

I am sorry. I don't own a palm and I only program for Windows. At best I might be able to provide a Linux version some day in the distant future...or possibly one for Pocket PC. (don't hold your breath though)

All in all - just love it. Thanks heaps,
Emily

I am glad you like it. It's very encouraging when someone uses your software, likes it, and tells you about it. Thanks!  :D
5187
General Software Discussion / Re: Screensaver Maker Recommendations?
« Last post by app103 on October 04, 2006, 12:19 AM »
Axialis Professional Screensaver Producer (corporate edition) is the best one ever.

bad news:  it's $60
good news: I own it and can do the screensavers you need.

It can do slideshow screensavers, but I don't really go for that kind, personally.

I had some plans on making some sort of Cody screensaver...but not a simple slide show one. I wanted to do something much more animated.

A sample screensaver that I made for a friend:

He lives in Ireland where they don't have Oreo cookies...and he is obsessed with them. He kept bugging me every day to send him some Oreos till I made an entire theme for his desktop of Oreos, complete with this screensaver:

InstallOreosScreensaver.exe

Another I made for myself:

It incorporates 2 personal jokes that you wouldn't understand and I am not going to explain.  But it's kind of funny any way.

InstallFlyingWatermelons.exe (this one has music)

And one I made for a friend that works for Sun, for his only Windows PC that he has at home:

InstallDancingSuns.exe (the animation on this one was kind of difficult to do and I still didn't get it quite right.)

5188
Living Room / Re: Buying New PC. Suggestions?
« Last post by app103 on October 02, 2006, 07:20 AM »
"Refurbished" has a bad sound to it, though. Especially "refurbished harddrive".

-f0dder (October 02, 2006, 05:33 AM)

HP's refurbs are good. Someone sends something back that is under warranty and they replace with a new pc. Then they take a look at what is wrong with the one sent back, replace the defective parts, wipe the HD's and reset the OS, and then test it, repackage it and resell it.

They don't actually fix individual parts...they replace them with new.

Often times you are getting a little more than you were supposed to.

In the case of my desktop, it was supposed to be 3.0 ghz with 512mb ram...turned out to be a 3.2 ghz with a gig of ram.
5189
DC Website Help and Extras / Re: Deleting posts in My Personal Area?
« Last post by app103 on October 02, 2006, 06:58 AM »
Sounds like mouser still needs to make everyone a moderator of their personal area.
5190
General Software Discussion / Re: Bad news for Firefox: Hackers claim zero-day flaw in it
« Last post by app103 on October 02, 2006, 02:06 AM »
These vulnerabilities affect more than just firefox...

They affect any application using the spidermonkey js engine too.

So there are a bunch of programs out there that use it for js scripting features that are ticking time bombs.
5191
DC Website Help and Extras / Re: Deleting posts in My Personal Area?
« Last post by app103 on October 02, 2006, 01:38 AM »
on the upper right you will see some options. (you may not have all the same ones I have)

delete.png

Just click on 'remove'
5192
Developer's Corner / Re: FBSL - A brand new code editor
« Last post by app103 on October 01, 2006, 08:31 PM »
I've looked, but I haven't seen any reviews about the best coding editor or was the "Best Text Editor" review (BTW - Great article :Thmbsup:) supposed to address this?

CJ
-cjkawd (October 01, 2006, 05:57 PM)

Something like that would depend on the language you are programming in and other factors.

I can't see the best editor for something like Python or Perl as also being the best for Delphi.
5193
Living Room / Re: Nifty wooden computer cases
« Last post by app103 on October 01, 2006, 08:26 PM »
I had considered at one time building my own wooden case...or more like a desk with the pc built into it.

I did a lot of sketches and jotted down tons of ideas...things like seperate lighting that would make working on the insides easier...glass doors...shelves that slide out.

Someday I'll do it.
5194
Official Announcements / Re: --> SEPTEMBER SOFTWARE DRAWING RESULTS - POSTED!
« Last post by app103 on October 01, 2006, 08:20 PM »
I only have 280.  Does that make me a social fonter?  Is this problem genetic?

Jeff
-JeffK (October 01, 2006, 07:23 PM)

It could be...my dad has more fonts than I do.
5195
Living Room / Re: Buying New PC. Suggestions?
« Last post by app103 on October 01, 2006, 08:15 PM »
A tip from my dad was to buy a major brand...refurbished.

It's cheaper than totally new...and you'll get more bang for your buck.

My daughter's laptop carries an original price tag of about $3000...my dad paid $1500, including a 2 year extended warranty.

My desktop has an original price tag of about $1200...my dad paid about $800.

Both are HP's.
5196
Living Room / Re: Flash Game: Apartheid
« Last post by app103 on October 01, 2006, 08:04 PM »
Play it on the orginal site:  http://homokaasu.org...gasgames/game.gas?10

Get rid of the balls by drawing a line that separates them from balls of any other color. Click and drag the mouse to draw lines. Drag outside the circle to cancel a line.

Plenty more interesting games there too:
http://homokaasu.org/gasgames/

5197
The Getting Organized Experiment of 2006 / Re: who dares wins - my challenge to you.
« Last post by app103 on October 01, 2006, 08:32 AM »
I like app's idea above about locking myself in a room until I work on X for Y hours.
-Lilly (October 01, 2006, 07:38 AM)

That wasn't exactly what I meant. It's locking yourself in a room for a length of time that would be unbearable to sit & do nothing...with the only alternative being to work on your task. Then you can choose which you'd rather do. The unpleasantness of boredom? or the work?

You can feel free to do nothing and be bored and not work. But can you really feel comfortable doing absolutely nothing for an hour or 2 every day? It would be kind of like sitting at a table in a library, all alone, and not reading....just staring at the table in front of you. No sane person could handle doing nothing like that for very long. It would be torture.

It's just a matter of putting yourself into a position where you have to choose the lesser of 2 evils...boredom or the dreaded task.

My main goal in life is to not be bored, so this might work well for me.
5198
The Getting Organized Experiment of 2006 / Re: who dares wins - my challenge to you.
« Last post by app103 on October 01, 2006, 07:30 AM »
I've tried your idea too, that's why i consider that instantboss is fantastic for me. My only problem is that all the work i have to get done is stuff in my computer, which means it is in the exact same place where i get distracted and there's no "phisical" way to escape.
My only solution to this is to use instantboss and make an enormous effort not to do anything other than work and stop working in the defined moments.
But...

after the novelty period has worn off you'll start to avoid the room(s) where the task takes place
-nudone (October 01, 2006, 03:43 AM)
Yes, i've stopped using it.

 >:( >:( it's stupid, i feel mad at myself for not doing anything, and still, don't.
-jgpaiva (October 01, 2006, 04:58 AM)

hmmm...maybe I should think about putting in some sort of really cool reward for when you finish the full work/break cycle. Something to keep you wanting to use it. I have an idea, but I am not going to say anything about it yet.  ;)
5199
The Getting Organized Experiment of 2006 / Re: who dares wins - my challenge to you.
« Last post by app103 on October 01, 2006, 04:49 AM »
the only thing that strikes me as possibly going wrong with your isolation experiment, is that after the novelty period has worn off you'll start to avoid the room(s) where the task takes place. i'm sure your subconscious will be capable of inventing reasons why you should not go into the room.

basically, i'm just saying, be aware - i feel that the task and the room will become one and the same thing.
-nudone (October 01, 2006, 03:43 AM)

That already is the problem...I already avoid those rooms in order to avoid the tasks...which is why I am going to force myself to do this.

I have been avoiding those rooms for years...and it really looks like it too. I'd share pics but it's embarrassing.  :-[

I hate housework with a passion! The only place in the house that looks decent is the space I occupy the most...my desk area...and the bathroom, because dirty bathrooms scare me.

My task this week was to make my kitchen presentable enough to let in the landlord so he could replace a worn out faucet, which was supposed to be done on Saturday, but he had a lot of other work to do in the apartment across the hall and can't get to my sink till Sunday.
5200
General Software Discussion / Re: New App - Floating Ruler - Feedback?
« Last post by app103 on October 01, 2006, 04:31 AM »
I just tried some things in Delphi to see if I could get it to work where it didn't have a titlebar and could be resizable...and at first I couldn't do it either.

The problem I had is that there is no way to get rid of the titlebar unless I set the form's border style to 'none'...which isn't resizable. Only 'sizable' & 'sizable tool window' can be resized by dragging the edge...and they both have titlebars.

Then I remembered a custom form I was working on awhile back...some really flashy looking thing...and remembered I was able to make it resizable. So I looked at how I did it and was able to create a transparent window with a border that was resizable.

The trick here is in procedure TForm1.CreateParams. It overrides the borderstyle of 'none' to give it a border and it's resizable.  ;)

Anything you may have had in your OnCreate procedure that resembled this, won't be needed...just remove or comment it out:

Code: Delphi [Select]
  1. procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
  2. begin
  3.   SetWindowLong( Handle, GWL_STYLE,
  4.     GetWindowLong( Handle, GWL_STYLE )
  5.     and not WS_CAPTION ) ;
  6.   ClientHeight := Height;
  7. end;


form properties & settings:
Spoiler
Code: Delphi [Select]
  1. object Form1: TForm1
  2.   Left = 210
  3.   Top = 157
  4.   HorzScrollBar.Visible = False
  5.   VertScrollBar.Visible = False
  6.   BorderStyle = bsNone
  7.   BorderWidth = 1
  8.   ClientHeight = 449
  9.   ClientWidth = 681
  10.   Color = clBtnFace
  11.   TransparentColor = True
  12.   TransparentColorValue = clLime
  13.   Font.Charset = DEFAULT_CHARSET
  14.   Font.Color = clWindowText
  15.   Font.Height = -11
  16.   Font.Name = 'MS Sans Serif'
  17.   Font.Style = []
  18.   FormStyle = fsStayOnTop
  19.   OldCreateOrder = False
  20.   OnCreate = FormCreate
  21.   DesignSize = (
  22.     681
  23.     449)
  24.   PixelsPerInch = 96
  25.   TextHeight = 13
  26.   object Panel1: TPanel
  27.     Left = 0
  28.     Top = 0
  29.     Width = 681
  30.     Height = 449
  31.     Anchors = [akLeft, akTop, akRight, akBottom]
  32.     BevelInner = bvLowered
  33.     BevelOuter = bvLowered
  34.     Color = clLime
  35.     TabOrder = 0
  36.     object Panel2: TPanel
  37.       Left = 1
  38.       Top = 1
  39.       Width = 185
  40.       Height = 41
  41.       BevelInner = bvRaised
  42.       Caption = 'drag me'
  43.       TabOrder = 0
  44.       OnMouseDown = Panel2MouseDown
  45.       object Button1: TButton
  46.         Left = 152
  47.         Top = 8
  48.         Width = 27
  49.         Height = 25
  50.         Caption = 'X'
  51.         Font.Charset = DEFAULT_CHARSET
  52.         Font.Color = clWindowText
  53.         Font.Height = -11
  54.         Font.Name = 'MS Sans Serif'
  55.         Font.Style = [fsBold]
  56.         ParentFont = False
  57.         TabOrder = 0
  58.         OnClick = Button1Click
  59.       end
  60.     end
  61.   end
  62. end


Form code:
Spoiler
Code: Delphi [Select]
  1. unit Unit1;
  2.  
  3. interface
  4.  
  5. uses
  6.   Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms,
  7.   Dialogs, ExtCtrls, StdCtrls;
  8.  
  9. type
  10.   TForm1 = class(TForm)
  11.     Panel1: TPanel;
  12.     Panel2: TPanel;
  13.     Button1: TButton;
  14.     procedure Panel2MouseDown(Sender: TObject; Button: TMouseButton;
  15.       Shift: TShiftState; X, Y: Integer);
  16.     procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
  17.     procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
  18.   private
  19.     { Private declarations }
  20.     procedure WMNCHitTest(var Msg: TWMNCHitTest);
  21.   message wm_NCHitTest;
  22.  
  23.   public
  24.     { Public declarations }
  25.     procedure CreateParams(var Params: TCreateParams); override;
  26.  
  27.   end;
  28.  
  29. var
  30.   Form1: TForm1;
  31.  
  32. implementation
  33.  
  34. {$R *.dfm}
  35.  
  36. procedure TForm1.CreateParams(var Params: TCreateParams);
  37. begin
  38.   inherited CreateParams(Params);
  39.   Params.Style := (Params.Style or WS_THICKFRAME);
  40. end;
  41.  
  42. procedure TForm1.WMNCHitTest(var Msg: TWMNCHitTest);
  43. begin
  44.   inherited;
  45.   if  Msg.Result = htClient then
  46.     Msg.Result := htCaption;
  47. end;
  48.  
  49.  
  50.  
  51. procedure TForm1.Panel2MouseDown(Sender: TObject; Button: TMouseButton;
  52.   Shift: TShiftState; X, Y: Integer);
  53. begin
  54.   ReleaseCapture;
  55.   SendMessage(Form1.Handle, WM_SYSCOMMAND, 61458, 0);
  56. end;
  57.  
  58. procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
  59. begin
  60. //prevents flickering when resizing
  61.    Form1.DoubleBuffered := true;
  62.    Panel1.DoubleBuffered := true;
  63.    Panel2.DoubleBuffered := true;
  64. end;
  65.  
  66. procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
  67. begin
  68. Application.Terminate;
  69. end;
  70.  
  71. end.


I am not sure if the Delphi code will be any help to you, but I have been told that Delphi & C# are similar enough to be almost considered close cousins.

The full Delphi source and .exe file are attached if you need it or want to try out the form to see how it works.
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